This July we had two new cleaning awards at http://www.amycleaning.co.uk.
Corina started with us last year. From the beginning we have received great comments from the customers that she clean for and she is a very honest and hard working person.
Anna has been with us for two years already. She is working for several regular customers and her job is excellent. She is also very willing to take on replacement jobs when needed thus helping us to organise the holiday replacements more easily!
Since the swine flu pandemic started some months ago, there has been an increase on the sales of soap and hand sanitizing products. Knowing that swine flu can spread quite easily, health organisations are stressing the importance of good hygiene habits.
We know that regular hand washing can prevent the spread of germs. But we cannot forget about cleaning; one of the key measures to prevent the spread of swine flu is the regular cleaning of hard surfaces such as tables or telephones.
We all have seen the official adverts asking us to through away the used tissues as soon as possible. But the virus only lives on them for about 30 minutes. However, the virus can live up to 2 days on hard surfaces (e.g. tables, cups or door handles). From this we can understand the importance of a thorough cleaning regime. keeping your house clean will help you boost your immune system, thus fighting swine flu on a much better way; this includes keeping dust and mold at bay.
What simple steps can you follow to fight swine flu at home?
1- Wash your hands. Wash them as soon as you enter your home, specially if you have been on a public place such as the office, gym or supermarket.
2- Clean frequently. Make sure your domestic cleaner incorporates the cleaning of door knobs, appliance handles, etc as part of her/his cleaning routine.
3- Eat healthy and wash your food before eating. It is all about boosting your immune system, so the same as you keep your house clean you need to keep your food clean, specially fruit and raw food.
Most of us think that the media coverage of swine flu is exaggerated; still, it does not hurt us to do a little bit of prevention job in regards to our health!
Our post on home made cleaners has proved to be a success for the customers at http://www.amycleaning.co.uk. It looks like people are getting more concern about the environment and how our acts can damage it. So here you can find some more “green recipes” to help you do your bit for the environment!
Cleaning tile floors:
– 1 cup vinegar
– 1 bucket of hot water
– Mix and apply. Wipe clean
Pots and Pans:
– 3 tablespoons of baking soda
– Some salt
– Water
– Mix the ingredients to form a paste. Dip a sponge into it and rub onto the metal. Let dry. Rinse with hot water.
Mold killer:
– 2 teaspoon of tea tree oil
– 2 cups of water
– Mix and put in a spray bottle. Spray on problem areas. Do not rinse.
Stainless steel polish:
– Undiluted white vinegar or olive oil
We hope these recipes are good enough for the new “green alchemists” and let us know your experience!
This June the cleaners of the month at http://www.amycleaning.co.uk are Carolina and Connie.
Carolina has been a great cleaner from the beginning. She shows very high standards on everything she does and customers are very happy with her.
Connie started with us last year. Since then she has proved to be an extremely reliable cleaner helping us to give the best service the our customers..
We arrive every day home and we feel safe, without thinking that the majority of Health and Safety accidents happen in our own lovely shelter.
Check on this article some unknown dangers in your house and what to do about them.
Kitchen sponges: Let’s be honest, we do not sanitize our sponges every day after doing the washing up. Do you know that our kitchen sponge can have more bacteria than our floor or toilet bowl? Germs grow in humid areas, so what better than your sponge and cloths to start a living! At http://www.amycleaning.co.uk we advise domestic cleaners to sanitize sponges and cloths after every visit; but often that is just once per week. So you can always do your bit by cleaning the kitchen sponge after your evening washing up.
Dirty Air conducts: We usually remember to clean the bathroom and dust the furniture in our house, but always forget about the air conducts or air conditioning. These conducts hold a big amount of dust, mould and bacteria that can cause serious allergies if not cleaned and maintained regularly. Always check that the air conditioning is one of your domestic cleaner’s monthly task.
Mould: It is very easy to see bathrooms with moldy corners on the shower and we tend to get used to it. Mould, especially black mould, can be very dangerous for your health, causing serious health problems such as pneumonia. Tell your domestic cleaner to clean and disinfect the area; as well, check if there is any broken pipe that is causing the humidity problem.
Mice and cockroaches:All of us have suffered this problem before. These animals can carry with them diseases such as salmonella or E-coli. You need to prevent them from coming into your house: explain your domestic cleaner when, where and how to dispose the rubbish; do not leave food around the house; do not leave any pile of newspapers, boxes, etc; look for any hole that could be an entrance for these animals and seal them with kitchen foil (apparently it is the only material that mice do not eat!).
Air fresheners: They are perfect to cover up some nasty smells around your house, but they are thought to cause asthma and other health problems. Strange odors in your house? Open windows!
Carpets:A lot of new carpets emit what is called VOCs (volatile organic compounds) which can be dangerous to your health (breathing problems and allergies). What is more, chemicals used while cleaning, like air fresheners, will be collected in the carpet, creating a health hazard. When doing your weekly cleaning, or when your domestic cleaner is in, make sure the carpets are well hovered and no corner is missed.
Do you think you are in danger? Speak with your domestic cleaner and organize a battle against hazards in your home and you will see the difference!
Congratulations to Emilia and Rebecca for their hard work and loyalty from http://www.amycleaning.co.uk
Emilia started working for us at the beginning of May. Since she started she has been very professional on her job and customers are extremely happy with her.
Rebecca has been with us since last year. Customers are happy with her service and she always calls the agency in case of any problems, proving to be very reliable.
It is always nice to come back from work and find that your domestic cleaner has done a great job! Your house is clean; it feels and smells different! But, for how long? At http://www.amycleaning.co.uk we know how important it is for our customers to have a regular domestic cleaner that can keep their homes clean without losing their personal touch… and scent.
Let’s see what you can do to keep bad odours out of your home.
1- Rule number one would be to clean. Make sure your domestic cleaner keeps a good routine and organise with her deep cleanings (such as fridge and oven). If your house is clean you will have more chances of keeping it odour free.
2- Carpet and upholstery. We know from other posts that any soft material will retain bad odours easily. It is important that you clean them regularly to avoid the built up of dirt that would create funny smells around your house.
3- Pets. We love them! They are cute and funny… and smelly too! Make sure you clean any “accident” quickly and wash them regularly. At the same time tell your domestic cleaner to hover carpets and upholstery thoroughly and regularly.
4-Baking Soda. For those “green products lovers” baking soda is like magic when doing domestic cleaning around the house. You can put it in the fridge to trap bad odours; sprinkle it around the carpet to absorb any strange smells; and it will freshen up any room or cupboard around your home.
5- Herbs. Do you prefer to add a more exotic touch to your home? Try boiling some cinnamon, clove and ginger and your house will smell like a Moroccan market. Are you more of a Mediterranean type? Then put some dry lavender or rosemary and basil in your cupboards to give them that freshness of the sunny coast.
6- You can always make your own air freshener. You just need a spray bottle, some essential oil (like vanilla or lemongrass). Put about five drops of your preferredoil on half a bottle of fresh water. Shake it and ready to use!
If the odour in your house is not what you expect when you open the door, try some of these tricksand you will see an improvement on your house!
In this post we will explain you how to remove different stains from your carpet, from candle wax to coffee and more.
– Alcoholic drinks: Dilute the stain with cold water. Absorb the excess liquid (remember to blot, not scrub). Mix warm water with one teaspoon of mild detergent and apply to the stain. Let it dry.
– Candle wax: Take an ice cube and press it against the stain so the wax will get harder and you will be able to remove it easily.
– Wine: If it is red wine you will need to dilute it with white wine, then blot with cold water and cover the stain with table salt. Wait about ten minutes and then you can vacuum the salt.
– Blood: Blot the stain with paper to absorb as much of the blood as possible. Mix warm water with one tablespoon of mild detergent and another of white vinegar. Apply this mix to the stain and let it dry afterwards.
– Chocolate: Rub as much of the chocolate as possible. Mix warm water with one teaspoon of mild detergent and another one of white vinegar. Apply the mix, rinse and let dry.
– Chewing gum: Take an ice cube and press it against it. The gum will then harden and you will be able to take it off easily.
– Fruit:You need to be quick with this one otherwise the stain will not desapear. Rub as much of the fruit as possible and absorb the liquid with paper. Mix warm water with one teaspoon of mild detergent and another one of white vinegar. Blot the stain with this mix and let it dry afterwards.
– Coffee: Blot the stain with paper. Mix warm water with one tablespoon of mild detergent and another one of white vinegar. Apply the mix to the stain and let it dry.
Everybody has experienced the dreadful coffee stain on the living room carpet. It always happens on the worst possible moment! No time to take care of it and worst of all: don’t know how to clean it!
At http://www.amycleaning.co.uk we always have customers asking us for help on how to remove certain stains from their carpets. So here we are with some tips to help you remove those stubborn stains!
1- Clean the stain as soon as possible. Quick action is needed to avoid extra damage to the carpet and a stain for eternity!
2- Do not scrub the stain. Unless you want to change the color of your carpet from a soft cream to a deep red, never scrub the stain, only blot it! If you scrub it you will be pushing the stain deeper into the carpet and then it will be impossible to remove it.
3- Warm water. Always thought that you needed to buy a multi-super-ultra-magic-carpet-cleaning-chemical to clean your stains? You don’t! Most stains can be cleaned with warm water.
4- Work inwards. Always clean the stain starting on the outside and working inwards not to spread it around the carpet (unless you feel inspired that day and you have decided to create a state of the art modern carpet!).
5- Mild detergent. Only if the stain is very stubborn, you may be able to use some mild detergent. So do not get crazy and do not run straight to the bottle of bleach because you will make things worst! Mild is mild, so think about washing up liquid, shampoo,…
Do you want to know what to do with your coffee stain? Your child has just left some chewing gum on your new carpet and you cannot take it off? On the next post we will be giving you some tips to clean specific stains, so do not miss it!
Recession strikes again, but this time for the better! A new survey from the National Carpet Cleaners Association (NCCA) has revealed an increase of business on the carpet cleaning sector.
There are different reasons for these. The main one is the fact that more and more clients are less willing to buy a new carpet when an accident happens; there is a tendency to restore carpets instead of replacing them due to the amount of income available.
This economic crisis has forced a lot of people to change their expending habits. Money is now spent on important and essential items. As well the downfall on the housing market has meant fewer houses built, therefore less carpets are needed.
At the same time that the carpet cleaning business experiences an increase in sales, customer behaviour is changing and we can find more clients expecting good value for money.
So the message for the cleaning industry, and specifically for carpet cleaning, is very clear: now more than ever we need to proof our expertise and provide high level of service to increase customer satisfaction.
